Is having a House Maid a luxury?

Varloo · Nov 8, 2006

Hai,
I have a maid to wash vessels, sweep and mop the house, and clean around the outside. I wash clothes with the help of a fully atomatic washing machine. I have the necessary gadgets in the kitchen. I also employ a garden help to maintain the small garden which I have. I spent around Rs.550/- monthly for this. I cannot do without the maid for long periods.
The spare time I use to read many magazinesa and books, watch good programmes or movies on tv, browse the net, stitch or do some work. I also do clean the house with the vacuum cleaner and clean the toilets myself. I also go out for other household work. I sit with my son when he studies, late night or early morning. I do the ironing fully.
I find that some women do all the household chores by themselves even if they are in good financial position to employ a maid. Then, they lament that they do not have time to sit with their children when they study. Also they say that they have 2 children to take care of (where as I have only one).
Do you think it is worth doing all the chores by ourselves and depriving the time and oppurtunity to know many things? Then when will we get time to enjoy and do things we always wanted to do?
I am asking because, sometimes this makes me feel guitly that I am leading a life of luxury.

Selvi · Nov 8, 2006

Dear Varloo,

How are you? Hope everything is going great with you.. Im back right in time to see your thread..

I wish I have all those u said here... Most of the ladies would pay anything to get such kind of help around here..I know so many ladies who whine that we are spending all our time in household work and not much with familes and social life (including myself now).

Whatever u r doing is the way to lead joyful and peaceful life. When we have opportunities to get some help there is no point in feeling guilty about it. And definitely no gulity needed in helping with your son or do what u like to do.

Enjoy life!!!! Take care!

Selvi.

safa · Nov 8, 2006

It is not luxury..

Dear Varloo,
It is not luxury. No need to feel guilty.How much time you spend to do some works at home! Avoiding children and doing all the works ourselves gives them nothing but loses the precious moments with kids..
We have only one life to live. We get our children with us only in this young age! Our kids also get our presence till they grow. When they grow , they have to fly away from our nest..We can't obstruct their way.
Some one might think that they won't let their child to leave them.How is it possible? They have to go out for higher studies or to find job...
They have to live their own life...
So don't worry, spend as much as time you wish with your son. It is the luxury that our mind wishes.

cheer · Nov 8, 2006

Dear Varloo,

I felt jealous:mrgreen: . Well as fas as i think it's upto to u, if u can afford u should do that. Here in abroad we didn't get any help & it's not possible for us to afford too. Here We are just busy doing all household work & cooking etc we can't get time for ourself. Here our weekend just go like that, we ladies didn't get time for ourself & when weekend passed we felt so tired. This is what here life is.

Not only that u helping economy too by hiring maid:mrgreen: . In india we're really lucky that we get good maid in our budget. Nobody appreciate if u busy doing all household stuff, cooking etc. & after a while u'll realize that u just waste ur life. Don't do that.

Think before urself. Whatever comfortable for u do that.

Preethi · Nov 9, 2006

You deserve your luxury !

Dear Varloo,

Let me tell you, reading your post I felt that you're balancing your house-hold and your family just perfectly. There is no need to feel guilty that you're leading a luxurious life, even if you do, it's your right to enjoy the luxury of life. I feel everyone deserves a bit of luxury in their life, for all the money we earn with so much hard-work, isn't it worth spending a little for ourselves and our own comforts ??

Let me tell you how it goes in our life here, It's just me and my husband over here, we don't have kids yet. Initially (before and after joining work) I used to do every bit of the household including cooking, mopping, vaccuming , washing (ofcourse with help of washing machine) etc...My husband insisted and got me kitchen gadgets like Oven, Rice cooker, mini food processer, grinder to make my kitchen-life much more simpler (initially I felt all these are too much for just 2 and opposed, but after possessing them, realised those were all a boon to me), we have arranged a cleaning boy coming home twice a month, to do complete house-hold cleaning rite from watering plants, cleaning AC, extensive bathrooms and all room cleaning and more than that ! My husband philosophy is, when we can afford we should make use of the modern gadgets to make our life more easy and save time, he doesn't believe in wife settled in kitchen for hours just cooking or doing house-hold chores all the time ! he wants me to make use of the spare time to pursue my interest like reading, writing, exercising and whatever I enjoy..! WIth all the spare time I have, I use it for my personal interest and also with my husband giving him all my attention. Probably if I had a child, all that extra time would go attending on him/her...

In India too, maids have become an integral part of our life, as much as our basic needs ! so, you're on the right track..

House-hold is important but not at the cost of sacrificing the 'quality time' for our loved ones inside our home...In India, finding a good maid at affordable cost is also not so difficult, unlike here. So, when you have one, make use of the resource and give yourself and your family more time !

Love,
Preethi

Eljaype · Nov 9, 2006

Is it a luxury??

Dear Varloo,

It is not a luxury, infact it has become a necessity nowadays to have somebody to help around the house and garden.
I have a maid but she comes only in the afternoon, so I do the cleaning up in the night and sometimes mop the house too. Mine is an old type house built in sixties by my father and actually a big one too, for the two of us.
Asking a maid to come and help is really a necessity for me. But like you I also do all the work around the house. That way I do not have to exercise at all. I also could not afford a maid when I was in Delhi for 3 years. It was very difficult at that time , not being to sit with my kids for their homework and all.
Now I have free time to do what all I want like sitting here at the computer and do whatever I want to.
So do not feel bad about having a maid. Try to do the garden work yourself if you have the health for it, because it is fulfilling. I like it very much.
Latha

Laxmi · Nov 9, 2006

Here is my views

Hi Varloo,

Yes here in India we could afford the luxury of having a house maid. In some cases we can have a stay at home maid so that we get round the clock help from the maid.

But with the growing demands of the maid especially here in Chennai ( you would not beleive I have changed 8 servant maid s over the span 1 and half year - the attrition rate is high not only in the software field but in the domestic home service too), my hubby always comments that Westernised culuture would catch up in this aspect too. he tells me that like in US you may probably not get any domestic help at all. But i do not want to think of those days doing mundane jobs like sweeping, mopping, washing etc.

Right now I am enjoying the service of my domestic help. Call it luxury or necessity, whichever way I would rather have the maid do all the mundane jobs so that I get to do things I really like like browsing the Indusladies community.

Varloo · Nov 9, 2006

Hai girls,
it is really heartening to know that you all support my view. Time will not stand still and when we become old, we may realise that we have spent most of our life in doing these chores.
There was an old couple as tenents in our groud floor sometime back. She opened my eyes to this fact. Her hubby was a menial worker in the Electricity dept and she worked hard to save money so that in the old age she could hire domestic help. Unfortunately, she had breast cancer and had it removed. But her miseries followed, her second son duped them and he wasted all the finance of his parents in his business venture and she had to slog even in the old age with the health problem also. She passed away recently. I could never forget her.
Thanks once again.

Eljaype · Nov 9, 2006

maid servants

Hi ,

My mother used to have full time cook and maid. I never did like that. I wanted a maid but only part time, so that she won't be after me all the time. Half of the work I still do but I find time enough for indus ladies and ammas put together.
Love
Latha :wave